Reviews: Clue: On Stage at Justice High School
Written by Alden Walcott of South Lakes High School
As the doorbell chimes and the dinner gong clangs, murder is clearly on the menu at Justice High School's "Clue on Stage: High School Edition." A delicious, fast-paced romp through physical comedy and witty quips, this dinner party gone wrong is a classic whodunit served with a side of zany glee.
Clue, the well-known board game turned 1985 film, has found new life as a laugh-out-loud play by Sandy Rustin, based on Jonathan Lynn's screenplay. A delightfully comic farce, it follows the intertwined fates of six colorful dinner guests, each arriving at Boddy Manor for a night of mystery and mayhem. But as people begin to die and a killer roams the manor, allegiances are tested, secrets are revealed, and by the end of the night nothing is what it once seemed.
Like the board game come to life, each dinner guest was clad in distinctive primary colors and sparkled with a characterization all their own, but it was in their scenes together that their camaraderie shone. Whether running in cartoonish formation or twisting in slow motion in perfect unison, heads snapping in sync with the sound cues, the actors demonstrated a palpable group connection.
Within this eclectic bunch, Colonel Mustard (Kyle Aylward) distinguished himself with a plainspoken ditziness balanced with his military bearing, managing to appear larger than life while still relatable. Mr. Green (Jason Gonzalez-Canales) likewise displayed a gift for physical comedy, hilariously contorting himself beneath both a falling chandelier and the manor's dead cook before transforming from flamboyant clumsiness to confidence as his true FBI agent status was revealed. In the whirlwind of comedic outrageousness, Miss Scarlet (Alexa Salang) provided a sultry, sarcastic foil, calmly blowing smoke rings at the other guests while flirting sassily from wherever she happened to find herself.
Directing the evening with wry, deadpan humor and a mysterious air, Joseph Hepperle's Wadsworth lent a dramatic panache to his awkward dinner party, a butler equally at home concealing a dead body and obsequiously drawing out his guests' long-buried pasts, culminating in a near-death scene that left him crawling across the stage to peals of laughter.
Boddy Manor was brought to life in all of its ominous, candlelit glory by Lucas Phinney and Emy Fase. Anchoring the stately set were a pair of versatile rolling platforms, pulled out to reveal a series of new rooms in which murders kept occurring. Keeping everyone guessing - was it Miss Peacock in the Billiards Room with a candlestick? - and featuring details ranging from a safe built into a false wall to handmade bookshelves lined with books, these transformations added dimension and took the board game aesthetic to new heights. No manor is complete without a well trained staff, and Justice's stage crew, dressed as butlers, (led by Tyler Woodbury and Robert Gard Marquez) was more than up to the task. With crisply executed transitions and smoothly polished movements, the set crew facilitated the breakneck pace of the action.
The lighting team (Chloe Bernasconi and Hayden Jeff) highlighted the playful murder mystery appeal, illuminating the back wall with different vibrantly-colored lights to represent each character, nodding to vintage cartoons. They worked in tandem with the sound team (led by Tobey Phinney and Kiran Kane), which meticulously executed its cues, timed not only with the lighting changes but with each comedic gesture of the actors, the flawlessly operated technical elements immersing the audience in the hijinx.
Bringing the board game to life with a witty twist, Justice High School's production of Clue is a hilarious, rollicking breath of fresh air that someone might just die for.
Written by Mary Campbell of Westfield High School
There's a body in the lobby, a brawl in the hall, and a mission in the kitchen. Scrambling around Boddy Manor, six secretive dinner guests frantically search for the murderer among them in Justice High School's animated production of Clue.
Inspired by the 1985 movie and the classic board game, Clue follows six eccentric strangers, each assigned a color-based pseudonym by their mysterious host, Mr. Boddy. After Mr. Boddy reveals he is the cryptic figure extorting each of the guests, he mysteriously drops dead. Mr. Boddy's death sets off a cascade of murders, initiating the quest to discover the killer and Mr Boddy's evidence of the guests' past crimes- all before the police arrive.
With striking tableaus, coordinated slow-motion, and rapid debates, the dinner guests' caricature-like personas formed a definite, desperate whole. Each actor functioned within the group, interacting effortlessly with their fellow suspects while also maintaining distinct individual characteristics. Abby Leegwater, playing Mrs. Peacock, embodied a ditzy hysteria through her over-exaggerated gestures and melodramatic facial expressions. Portraying the doltish yet confident Colonel Mustard, Kyle Aylward's stiff gait, befuddled expression, and ironic delivery created a boisterous persona that stumbled through the elaborate mystery. As the sly and sultry Miss Scarlet, Alexa Salang embraced a more subtle form of comedy, delivering her witty quips and sharp retorts with a knowing smirk and a vicious glare. Joe Witters played Professor Plum as an absent minded intellectual, gradually losing confidence as he desperately attempted to once - just once! - correctly declare a body as dead
. Portraying Mrs. White, Rahel Kassa's unwavering composure and elegant posture emphasized her character's guarded nature. As Mr. Green, Jason Gonzalez-Canales personified clumsy unease as he stumbled and stuttered through each scene; when his character unveiled his true nature as an FBI agent, Gonzalez-Canales assumed a more confident stance and suave stride, displaying his triumph over the other guests.
Leading the guests through their unexpectedly disastrous party was the butler Wadsworth, later revealed to be the true Mr. Boddy in disguise, played by Joseph Hepperle. As Wadsworth recounted the entire ordeal of searching the manor and discovering the bodies, Hepperle reenacted his fellow actors' physicality and past performances. Mimicking the wide range of characters, from Miss Scarlet's blas� composure to Mr. Green's anxious energy, Hepperle smoothly and speedily transitioned from one moment to the next. Yvette, the maid, was played by Grace Goldstein, whose consistent French accent maintained diction and clarity. As Goldstein oscillated between sanguinity and panic, Yvette's natural perky attitude battled with the distressing scenario.
The colorful backdrops, created by lighting designers Chloe Bernasconi and Hayden Jeff, corresponded with the character's iconic hues. In addition to the character's colored themes, the backdrops also flashed bright red when a murder was committed, contributing an even more ominous atmosphere to the already sinister mansion. The mansion itself, featuring rooms found on a classic Clue board, was cleverly designed by Lucas Phinney. To include all of the many essential settings, the set used two sliding rooms, one on each side of the stage. The room's decor changed between appearances, allowing one set piece to be used for the kitchen, the library, the study, and the conservatory, and another to be used for the billiard room and the lounge.
Justice High School's production of Clue embraced the show's farcical comedy, creating an enthralling and riotous production. At first glance, the death toll may seem extreme, but after all, "casualties are inevitable."